Get into Caricature

Want to make your wedding stand out from the rest? Why not try an usual entertainer to keep your guests giggling during the reception? Josie Camus is a fabulous caricature artist - on the spot, she'll sketch anyone, and give them the picture to take away. How's that for a fantastic, personalised favour? And if you're hiring her for your big day, you could even ask her for a portrait of you and your husband to add to the invitations, or have made into a stamp to decorate paper goods like napkins. The possibilities are endless!

Great British Stationers

It's tends to be the first wedding decision you make, and therefore, it's often the hardest. But picking the stationer to design your big day invitations just got easier! Check out these two great British companies and their fabulous templates, which you can adapt to suit your colour palette and theme. The first set of pics are from Ever After Designs, who are currently offering a Before the Big Day readers a10% discount on all orders, plus one free sample per customer. The second and third sets of pics show invitations from Entwine Design. They offer bespoke invitations, plus these fantastic table plan designs, which are just the bomb!

Credit Crunch Bride

Some of the gorgeous stationery out there is way over the budget of any credit crunch bride. When invitations are coming in at over £5 a pop, something's got to give. But it doesn't need to be your invites, you just need to get creative! Making your own stationery can be cinch if you're willing to do some printing, stamping and sticking of your own.What's more, it'll really make your big day your own.

The secret is to find a template. Thanks to the huge generosity of graphic designers out there in the web-world, there are simply hundreds of patterns out there that you can use. Check out The Wedding Chicks for a whole selection of templates (including those pictured above) and I Do It Yourself, one of my best web finds for while!

And it's not just stationery! Check out this template (pictured above) created by Rachel from Benign Objects. Originally designed for Christmas, Rachel very kindly altered it for The Wedding Chicks, so you can now use it to make your own personalised pillow boxes, CD cases and labels. Perfect for favours! Rachel also created the most amazing Save the Date hankerchiefs for her own wedding, click here for more.

Beautcamp Brides & Grooms

It's the New Year, so everyone and their dog has an excercise resolution, and none more than the bride and groom planning a summer wedding. The countdown has begun, and if you're planning to shed a couple of pounds before the final suit and dress fitting, then you'll be wanting to get started. Here are a few recommendations.....

If you live in London, then look no further than Beautcamp Pilates. Straight from LA, the latest fitness craze promises a Hollywood body, thanks to its revolutionary technique incorporating the famous Systeme Dinamique (nope, me either). It's hard work, but they swear you'll have a new body within ten sessions, and that's the type of promise I like!

If you don't mind someone shouting at you, then try British Military Fitness. Whatever your level, they'll get you enrolled on an outdoor class run by serving or former members of the armed forces with recognised fitness training qualifications. They promise to motivate you back into fitness, and they even offer a free first class.

If you're more of the independent type, then try I Am SuperChick (admittedly more for the girls!). They offer women online personal training programmes, guaranteed to fit around your lifestyle, while their virtual locker-room will help you count calories and track your progress. If you have a weakness for mid-afternoon treats - this site will keep you trim.

Real Wedding: Pooja & Harsh

Palm trees, the scent of crushed rose petals underfoot and a sea breeze to cool the air. Could this be the perfect destination wedding? Pooja and Harsh celebrated their big day in the Dominican Republic in a flurry of stunning saris and sequins. Only an Indian wedding could combine bright pinks, reds and oranges, and carry it off in style. Both Pooja and Harsh's outfits are exquisite, and I love the traditional margiold garlands. Fans a brilliant idea for favours if you're celebrating in the heat - they come in every colour, so you can match them to your theme. Huge thanks to Karen Wise for her gorgeous photographs.

Real Wedding: Kristen & Toshi

Loving the bright details and irreverant style of this gorgeous big day shot by the fab Christine Chang. She's totally caught the personalities for bride and groom, Kristen and Toshi. I'm particularly impressed with how the pink and orange of the bridesmaid's bouquets are reflected in the cute cupcakes, and the way the colours pop against the wedding party's dark blue outfits. Add in the candy bar and the goodbye sparklers, plus the hilarious cake-topper - and it's well on the way to being one of my favourite ever real weddings!

Real Wedding: Erica & Chet

This gorgeous urban wedding shows city-dwelling brides and grooms how to make the most of their venue. Erica and Chet celebrate their big day in a fabulous warehouse space, which they softened with a recurring bird motif, including hundreds of soaring silhouettes suspended from the ceiling. Check out how they've used a designer birdhouse as a container for their wedding wishes, and even the pencils are personalised with 'Erica & Chet Tie the Knot'. I also love the shade of blue they've chosen for their colour palette, along with the tiny red accents. Altogether a fabulous clean, modern look to balance the rough edges of the background brick. Stunning photos as ever from the team at Our Labour of Love.

Real Wedding: Mariam & Ben

It's pretty hard to have a totally original big day, but this cute couple Ben and Mariam had a pretty good go at it! Check out Mariam's gorgeous fabric and button bouquet for starters. Then look at the later photos to spot her second dress of the day, a sari for the reception. At this point you should note that neither of them are Indian they just thought it'd be fun! Whatsmore, instead of doing the first dance together, they continued the Indian theme, and did the Jai-Ho" dance from Slumdog Millionaire with their friends. Isn't that just the coolest idea? Fanastic photos as ever from Christine Chang.

Your Lucky Number

What's your lucky number? For the Chinese, it's the number eight, because ba in Mandarin and baht in Cantonese rhymes with the word prsoperity, which is pronounced fa or faht. Elegant couple Shining and Karl must be superstitious because they planned their big day for August 8th, 2008 (8/8/08). Their gorgeous celebration took place in New York, with one special guest - their dog Whiskey, who carried the rings to the altar in a pouch on his collar. Other ideas to copy include Shining's stunning dress with a simple sage green sash (a fantastic way to introduce colour), the bamboo holder for place markers, and the traditional Chinese bird cages. I love Shining's orchid and veil combo as well - there's nothing more elegant than an up-do! Endless thank-you's to Karen Wise for her photos - exceptional as ever!

Guest Posting

One of my favourite blogs from over the other side of the pond is Oh So Beautiful Paper. The author, Nole, loves all things paper, and updates her blog on a regular basis with things that inspire her, from paper goods and wedding invitations to interior design, style and anything pretty. I'm particularly keen on her Real Invitations features - check out this fabulous set from her latest posting and click here to check out the feature in full!

@ Website for the Weak @

I can't tell you how excited I was when I discovered the gorgeous shopping site, Happiness Itself. Owner Anita Kaushal clearly has an eye for the most wondeful things, and although not all of them are wedding related, just imagine how gorgeous the ceramic key-ring and Kiss Hoarder book could be as wedding favours. And if you're having a simple beach wedding, your bridesmaids could certainly wear the pure cotton lace-trimmed tops over silk skirts. Even the ruffle bag comes folded into the shape of a heart *sigh*.

Real Wedding: Irene & Quinn

On a crisp cold morning like today, it didn't feel right to feature a summer wedding, so here's a gorgeous winter one from New York instead. Irene and Quinn picked a gorgeous venue in the heart of historic South Street Seaport in Lower Manhattan, and said their vows as the sun set over the East River. I just adore Irene's outfit, from the lace overlay on her dress, to her A-line fur coat and full-length gloves - practical and elegant. A talented graphic designer, Irene designed and planned her wedding from scratch, creating invitations, monograms, coasters, menus and maps. Check out the their fabulous brocade cake and the stunning red flowers and table decorations. Many thanks to Karen Wise for her stunning photographs and collages.

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BBD Theme: Let It Snow

Inspired by the photo above? Well then why not add a bit of snowy loveliness to your big day, thanks to the gorgeous items below?

Product Credits (from top left corner) - Lace Cuff: Jess James Jake, Feather Hair Accessory: One Little Dove, Vintage Lace Dress: Timeless Vixen Vintage, White Blossoms Ring Cushion: AAlicia Wedding, Satin & Tulle Strapless A-Line Gown: Bridal Bliss Designs, (from middle left) White Takes Flight Feather Comb: Boring Sidney, 14k Nena Stacker Ring with Acquamarine: Michelle Lenae, Ping & Jing Wedding Hat: Boring Sidney, Frozen Crystals Tiara: Which Goose, (from bottom left) White Orchid Shrug: Toccata, White Felt & Gold Earrings: 3 Fun, Pearl Studs: Toccata, Lace Gloves: Malam

Product Credits (from top left) - Snowflake Gift Tags: Pink Lily Press, Shrug: Toccata, Snowflake Tie: Toy Breaker, Round Gift Tags: Fresh Lemon Blossoms, Veil: Myrakim, (from bottom left) Snowflake Invitation: Designs by Adj, Tiara: AC Petrille, Cupcake: The Cupcake Mint, Bianca Nuno Felted Tie Shrug: Glamour Junkie, Mignonne Lace Wedding Dress: Toccata, Snowflake Stationery: Paper Lovely Press

Product Credits (from top left) - White Takes Flight Feather Comb: Boring Sidney, Ruffled Clutch: Murwati, Bridal Bracelets: Totus Mel, White Birch Wood Candle Holders: Snow Owl Wood Shop, Bouquet: April Hiler Designs, Snowflake Invitation: Designs by Adj, (from bottom left) Vintage Gold Paper Snowflake: Two Palms Trading Co, Natural White Birch Gift Tags: Snow Owl Wood Shop, Large Tree Silhouette Papercuts: Jenny Lee Fowler, Lace Hair band: AC Petrille